Written in Ink
by Dior Crystal
Summary: Writing your feelings down on paper always helps. Did you know that? AU. 8059.
1. Namimori

Dino sighed, bored. The airport was filled with life what with the number of people bustling about as usual; a sight that he was extremely used to since he travelled a lot. After looking at people walk around for about ten minutes, Dino checked his watch.

When were they going to let them board the plane? He was bored and he was tired of waiting. And his companion was not making things any better either. The man had been talking on his cell phone with his sister for quite some time now. Why their conversation had been going on for awhile now when he always claimed that he hated his sister, Dino did not know.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I told you already. I'm going to be away for a week, Bianchi." The silver-haired man rolled his eyes, annoyed. "You don't need to fuss. I'm not a kid anymore..."

Dino tapped his foot on the ground impatiently. He was tempted to yank the cell phone out of his hands.

"You know what it's for! And I'm going there with Dino..."

But if he yanked the cell phone out of his hands, Dino would never hear the end of it.

"Yes, THAT Dino. Dino Cavallone..."

_Come on. Get off of the phone and talk to me! I'm so bored_, Dino screamed in his mind.

"It's at Namimori. Where I used to study-"

"_All passengers who are going to Namimori, Japan, please board the plane_-"

Oh, screw it. He was going to do it anyway.

"Yes, THAT place..."

"Yoink!" Dino said, pulling the cell phone out of the man's grasp easily.

The man blinked, looked at his now empty hand, and then looked at Dino in surprise. A look that was not unlike a scowl formed on his handsome face. "The hell was that for?" he demanded.

Dino grinned, not intimidated by the other in the least. This action only served to further irritate his companion. "No more talking. Time for us to board the plane, Gokudera," he said playfully.

"Che. I know that," Gokudera Hayato grumbled, bending down to pick up his suitcase. "I'm not an idiot."

Once inside the airplane, Gokudera made himself comfortable in his seat. Having done that, he closed his eyes, heaving out a deep breath. Well, this was it. It was time for him to go back to the place that he considered as home; the place that he had lived at for most of his life before he moved to Italy, the place that he was born.

He looked out of the window and saw that they were still on the ground, and somehow, that made him feel better. He clenched his hand into a fist. Though the stewardesses were nice enough and made sure that all of the passengers were comfortable, he still felt nervous. It was at times with this that he was tempted to light a cigarette. His hand itched to reach into his pocket where he knew he kept a box of it.

Noticing Gokudera's sudden change in behaviour, Dino nudged him in the arm.

"Yo," he said. "Are you alright?"

The worried look on Gokudera's face lingered for a second or two before it was replaced with his usual scowl. He crossed his arms across his chest. "Of course I'm alright. What do you think?" Gokudera sneered.

Dino laughed, then shook his head. He should have known.

"Of course." He smiled. "Since you're alright, take a look at this." He handed the silver-haired man the newspaper that he had been reading. "There's an article in there that you might be interested in."

Gokudera furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What is it?"

"You'll see." Dino leaned back in his seat, placing his hands at the back of his head.

Irritated, Gokudera opened the newspaper. _Junk, junk, junk_, he thought, as he turned page after page. Some crap about a woman wanting to sue her husband for cheating on her, some crap about people fighting over pointless things, some advertising crap, some crap about famous people that he did not particularly care about, some more crap and... he found it. Gokudera stopped at the page where there was an article that took up a fourth of it, staring at it.

"Famous Writer Visits Japan"; that was what the title read. And right below the title was a picture of several books.

Gokudera could not help smiling slightly upon seeing that.

"Famous writer, G. Archery, who has written several popular books which have recently been translated to Japanese will be making a special visit to Japan for a book signing to promote the release of his translated works..." Gokudera read out loud. "He will tour around Japan and his first stop is Namimori. This is the first time he is going to make a public appearance, choosing to write under the cloak of anonymity before this. Mr. Archery's works are usually about the supernatural. However, his latest work..."

The article went on to talk about the author's latest book, where and when the book signing would be held, what the author's most popular works were and so on. A small sense of pride bubbled within Gokudera as he read the article. Heh. He closed the newspaper. Not bad, if he said so himself.

Dino smiled at him lazily. "They're all looking forward to your arrival."

He shrugged. "I suppose."

"This is a great achievement, and you know it, Gokudera." Dino yawned. "Damn, I think I'm going to get me some shut-eye before we get there. Wake me up when the food comes, 'kay?"

"Heh."

"_To all passengers, you are advised to fasten your seatbelts. We are taking off for Namimori, Japan right now..."_

Gokudera looked out of the window, watching as they got further and further away from the airport and as they picked up speed, took off from the ground, leaving his country of birth. Soon, they were up in the clouds and Italy was left far behind, looking very much like it does on maps. Well, then. There was no turning back now. He sat back in his seat, taking in several breaths to still his nerves. It had been a long time since he went back. He had never gone back since he moved to Italy. He just hoped that nothing would go wrong.

Gokudera Hayato was going home. He was going back to Namimori.

* * *

Yamamoto took in a deep breath of fresh air and instantly smiled, his eyes bright. This. This was great. Since he was so busy with his job lately, it had been awhile since he visited his hometown. How long had it been? One month... two?

Sleepy Namimori looked the same as ever and he was glad for it. When he saw the little coffee shop down the road, he remembered the times he used to hang out with his friends there after school. When he saw the batting cage, he remembered the times he used to practice batting. Why, when he passed by the arcade, he remembered the times he would fool around with the games there with his best friend.

All of these memories... Everything he saw reminded him of a memory. Some good... His smile fell slightly. And some bad.

Trying to push the thoughts out of his mind, he glanced at his watch. It looked like he was running a little late.

* * *

The flight to Namimori was a pleasant one. Sure, there was the occasional turbulence, but that was to be expected, right? Though the turbulences were not that bad, just small ones, that did not stop a certain blonde from grabbing at Gokudera's thigh instinctively from fright before squeezing it. Hard. Needless to say, Gokudera remedied the situation by hitting Dino in the head. Even harder.

The moment they arrived in the airport at Namimori, Dino was ecstatic.

"And... We're here! Sweet, old Namimori!" Dino said happily, stretching his arms above his head as he did so. "Aren't you happy, Gokudera?"

Gokudera cast green eyes over at him. "Stop being so embarrassing," he said bluntly.

"Now that's just mean, Haya-chan," Dino said playfully, purposely calling Gokudera by that accursed nickname to annoy him. He slung his arm around the shorter male's shoulders, pulling him closer. "You shouldn't talk like that to the person who arranged for all of this to happen. I'm your manager."

A vein throbbed in Gokudera's temple upon hearing that nickname. He glared at the too-happy blonde. "That is _exactly_ why I should talk to you like that. I've told you many times already; I don't even want to be here."

"Now, now, you don't mean that," Dino said, making the scowl on Gokudera's face deepen. "This is a great opportunity and you know it."

"Hmph."

"Uwaa... So cold. Are you still mad about just now? I told you that I was sorry. I didn't mean to grab at your-"

"I'm _always_ mad at you, so keep quiet, will you?"

Gokudera turned his face away, making Dino chuckle. He had known Gokudera long enough to know whether he was angry or not, to know what he was thinking. And he knew that Gokudera really did not want to be here. The blonde sighed.

"Come on," he said, leading the man towards the entrance. "We need to get to the hotel where I booked rooms for us. The taxi I asked for should be around somewhere..."

While the blonde searched for their taxi, Gokudera pulled his suitcase along behind him, ignoring the strange looks that he had been receiving ever since he got there due to his... unique hair colour. Well, so far, so good. He did not see anyone familiar here yet. But just in case... He put on a pair of sunglasses to obscure his looks. He did not feel like meeting anyone at the moment.

* * *

Tsuna was at home, waiting anxiously for his friend to arrive. The brown-haired man sighed as he lay down on the couch, rereading the advertisement that he had printed out for the umpteenth time. The words "Reunion of Class 2002" were splashed at the top in awfully bright colours and there were cartoon drawings of odd-looking creatures decorating the advertisement; no doubt the work of Haru.

The reunion... Tsuna folded the paper and put it on the table.

He was looking forward to it. A smile made its way to his face. It had been ages since he met any of his friends from back then, though he did meet up with a few of them occasionally. Keeping in touch and meeting up were not easy when they all had chosen different paths right after they graduated from high school.

He wondered how they were doing. Haru, Ryohei, Hibari, Mukuro, Gokudera, Kyoko... Were they doing well? Did they manage to achieve their dreams? In the very least, he knew that Yamamoto Takeshi had managed to achieve exactly what he wanted; to be a baseball player. Better than that, he was a famous one. But that came to no surprise to Tsuna since he had always expected Yamamoto to make it big in baseball due to his incomparable talent. It was perfectly normal to see Yamamoto making the headlines in the sports section of every news media there is or for him to appear in commercials.

Yamamoto was so famous, that it was no wonder that he kept a low profile when it came to his visits to Namimori.

As for Gokudera... Tsuna frowned.

He had absolutely no idea what that guy did nor did Yamamoto even though the three of them were absolutely inseparable back in high school. He rarely spoke to Gokudera now and when he did, Gokudera would always change the subject should Tsuna ever ask about his job. Yamamoto's situation with Gokudera was not any better. If anything, it was worse. Yamamoto had not heard from Gokudera since the Italian graduated from university and moved away. And this was strange since those two were always together. Tsuna sighed.

_Well... Whatever that Gokudera is doing, I'm sure that he is doing great._

Hopefully, with the reunion coming up, he, Yamamoto and Gokudera would be able to hang out again. Just like old times. If Gokudera was even go show up, that is. Everyone was invited so Gokudera must know about this.

Tsuna looked up at the clock that hung on the wall. His friend sure was late. He should have been here by now. Perhaps he was caught in a traffic jam?

As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

"Ah, that must be him!" Tsuna exclaimed, standing up then hurrying towards the door. "Coming!"

And sure enough, when he opened the door, there stood one of his oldest friends, looking the same as he did the last time Tsuna saw him. With him, he carried a small suitcase. He grinned at Tsuna.

"Yo, Tsuna! How are you?" Yamamoto Takeshi said cheerfully.

* * *

Gokudera had been strangely silent since they arrived here in Namimori. So silent that Dino could not help looking back at him now and again. The only sounds that could be heard were the sound of the purring of the taxi's engine, the sound of the soft patter of rain, and the sound of water splashing whenever the car drove over a puddle.

Gokudera was looking out of the window, an almost faraway look on his face. He was completely immersed in his thoughts. In an attempt to get the man to lighten up a little, Dino nudged him in the elbow, pulling him back to Earth.

"Hey, Gokudera," Dino said. "We're passing by your old school right now."

"I know," Gokudera murmured, not shifting his vision from the window he looked out of.

He pressed the palm of his hand against the glass. The building, the trees, the benches, everything that was a part of the school property... To his surprise, he remembered all of it. Every single detail. And that was something since he was considered as a delinquent (with exceptional grades) when he was younger; not the type to remember this sort of thing. The school did not change much over the years. Just looking at the place brought back memories to him.

_It was raining. Luckily, Yamamoto had an umbrella, which he used for cover. He had just finished baseball practice and was in a hurry to get back home. However, he immediately stopped in his tracks when he caught sight of someone familiar. He approached the other teenager. "Ehh, Gokudera is still here?"_

"_No, I am not," Gokudera responded sarcastically. He scowled, dropping the cigarette he had been smoking to the ground before grounding it with his shoe. "Of course I am here! You see me sitting here, don't you? Che. Baseball idiot. You must have gotten hit in the head too many times already."_

_Yamamoto laughed. "Ha ha! I'm sorry." He offered the disgruntled teenager a smile. "Why is Gokudera still here?"_

"_Isn't it obvious?" Gokudera gestured at the area outside of the shade. "It's raining."_

"_Ohh..." Yamamoto tilted his head, gazing at his silver-haired friend who turned his face away. "Well, I have an umbrella. I can walk you home."_

"_I'd rather wait."_

"_Aww, come on, Gokudera. It'll be fine. I don't mind at all."_

"_I know that you don't mind. _I'm_ the one that minds. I don't want to have to listen to you talk about mindless things again on the way back."_

"_Ha ha! Don't be so cruel, Gokudera." Yamamoto laughed once more. "Come on, before the rain gets heavier. I don't want you to wait here all by yourself." He moved the umbrella away from himself and towards Gokudera so that the other was standing under it instead, not minding the fact that he was getting rained upon by doing so. "Please?"_

_Gokudera stared at him. _

"_Are you an idiot?" he demanded, his cheeks growing pink. "You're standing under the rain! You'll get soaked, baseball idiot!"_

"_Well, if Gokudera doesn't want me to get soaked, then you should let me walk you back home," he said simply._

_Gokudera's right eye twitched. He felt like strangling the baseball player. So persistent...!_

"_Go die."_

_That did not seem to deter Yamamoto, though. "Please, Gokudera?" he tried once more. He shivered. "I'm feeling cold already..."_

"_I told you already; no! And it's your fault that you're wet right now, idiot!"_

_"But I'll get sick..."_

_"Then go get sick!"  
_

_But he did walk back home with Yamamoto in the end anyway. Not because he wanted to but because the idiot was getting soaked to the skin, and he could not have the idiot getting sick. But as luck would have it, Yamamoto _did_ get sick, and Gokudera had to take care of him the rest of the day, much to his dismay._

The reunion... Gokudera curled his fingers against the glass. If he went there, he could...

Noticing the look on Gokudera's face, Dino spoke.

"If you want to go to the reunion, why don't you go?" the blonde suggested gently.

Gokudera blinked. He watched as they drove further away from the school until it was no longer in sight, keeping silent. Thinking that Gokudera was not going to answer his question, Dino was about to read a magazine when Gokudera spoke, his voice soft;

"No," Gokudera said. "I don't want to."

Dino sighed, squeezing the other's shoulder in understanding.

* * *

**DIOR:** I'm back to spam this fandom with 8059, just like I said I would. 8D Alrightey, this is my first chaptered fic for 8059. I hope that it's okay. It's not going to be too long. Just 7 chapters at most. Reviews are appreciated.


	2. Tricked

Dino drew the curtains in his room open, filling the room with light. He smiled. It looked like today was going to be a beautiful day. The sun was out, the birds were singing and the sky was a clear blue with fluffy white clouds decorating it. Such a beautiful sight, and a wonderful way to start off the day. Dino turned around and stretched his arms above his head, feeling completely refreshed from the nice long shower he took. The room that he was staying in was tastefully decorated, comfortable and rather spacious. And since Dino booked the same type of rooms for them both, Gokudera's room was just as nice as this one.

Speaking of Gokudera...

_Is that guy up yet?_

Knowing that guy, he was probably still fast asleep. Dino sighed. As the manager, he was going to check on him. He was not happy about Dino making Namimori one of their destinations, so Dino would not be surprised if Gokudera tried to annoy him by being slow to get ready. Since Dino had booked adjoining rooms for them, checking up on Gokudera was not much of a problem. Dino strode over to the door that he knew led to Gokudera's and knocked on it a few times.

No answer.

_He must be either fast asleep or in the shower_, Dino concluded.

He opened the door, not even caring that Gokudera might get angry; they were so used to each other's company that it did not matter. Sure enough, upon opening the door, the first sight that greeted him was of the writer, Gokudera Hayato, curled up in bed, clearly asleep.

Dino sighed.

Really, now.

But as the manager, he had to make sure that Gokudera was on time for the book signing. Dino neared the writer, intending to wake up the man when Gokudera suddenly shifted in his sleep and mumbled something. Dino tilted his head. What was it that Gokudera just said? Hazel eyes took in the sleeping man's features, suddenly noticing for the first time how tired he looked. Gokudera must not have been able to sleep the night before. He sighed once more and sat at the edge of the bed, feeling a bit sorry for Gokudera.

"Are you that tired?" Dino murmured, not really expecting an answer.

It was then that Gokudera mumbled once more in his sleep, and this time, Dino was able to make it out clearly. It was a name that Dino sometimes caught Gokudera mumbling in his sleep.

He raised an eyebrow.

"What are you dreaming about?" he wondered out loud.

The only response that he received in return was of Gokudera turning over and pulling the comforter over his head.

_Gokudera continued packing his books into the box in front of him, blatantly ignoring the knocks that rained upon his apartment door. Fuuta turned to look at Gokudera in concern when he heard someone knock on the door for... actually, he had lost track of how many times. All he knew was that the person on the other side of the door must be desperate to see his senior. _

"_Gokudera-nii?" _

"_What?" said the disgruntled male._

_Gokudera did not even need to look at Fuuta's face to know what he was thinking. His thoughts, Gokudera concluded, must be something along the lines of; "Surely he must have heard that? There is no way he could not have heard them, especially since the person outside is calling out his name as well. Just how long does Gokudera-nii intend to ignore his best friend?"_

"_Aren't you going to get the door?" Fuuta asked tentatively. "Yamamoto-nii must be eager to see you."_

_At the mention of Yamamoto's name, Gokudera stopped midway in putting yet another book into the box. His apartment was a mess at the moment what with the number of boxes and items strewn onto the floor. Packing is not a tidy process. At least, when a moody Gokudera is the one doing all or most of the packing. It was only today that Fuuta volunteered to help out with the packing. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air, and during that silence, a sad, vulnerable expression took over Gokudera's features. Green eyes glanced at the door before returning to the book held in its owner's hands._

"_No, I'm not going to," Gokudera said in an indifferent manner, though the look in his eyes said otherwise, "It's probably not that important anyway."_

"_I see..."_

Gokudera turned over, muttering some more in his sleep. He pulled the comforter closer to his body, feeling extremely comfortable. It was so warm here...

"_Gokudera!" Yamamoto Takeshi yelled out as he caught up to his shorter friend. "Wait up! I need to talk to you."_

"_What?" Gokudera said, irritated. He did not even raise an eyebrow when he caught sight of his sweaty friend. The idiot must have just finished playing baseball. "What the hell is so damned important that you need to talk to me, baseball idiot?"_

_Yamamoto blinked, surprised at Gokudera's tone. "Nothing really..."_

_Gokudera snorted.  
_

"_Then I'm going home." Gokudera turned around, ready to leave._

"_Wait!" _

_Yamamoto reached out and grabbed Gokudera's wrist. He did not even flinch when the other glared at him. _

"_It's... It's just that I've not seen you in awhile, Gokudera," the dark-haired male said carefully._

"_So?"_

_Yamamoto flinched, but he pushed on anyway.  
_

"_So I was wondering..." Yamamoto trailed off._

"_What, idiot?"_

"_If we could hang out again one of these days?" Yamamoto finished quickly._

_Silence._

_Gokudera looked away._

"_Gokudera...?"_

_Silence, still._

_"Gokudera..."  
_

"_I don't have time. Sorry." And with that said, Gokudera pulled his wrist out of Yamamoto's grip and walked away, not even bothering to give Yamamoto a second glance._

"Ta... ke..." Gokudera mumbled, slight tears gathering under his eyelashes.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" a certain manager just about yelled into his ear, shocking him into awakening. Gokudera cried out, nearly falling off of the bed. "Wake up, wake up, wake up! It's time for you to get ready. You have a busy day ahead of you, Gokudera!"

Gokudera glared at the blonde, annoyed. The blonde merely grinned at him in his usual cheerful manner. How irritating.

"Can't you wake me up in a less irritating way, clumsy idiot?" he grumbled.

"Aww, that won't be as much fun."

"Go die." Gokudera threw a pillow at the annoying man, who managed to dodge it. "I'm trying to sleep, so leave me alone."

"Waa, you can't do that!" Dino said frantically. He pulled at Gokudera's arm, trying to coax him out of bed, but Gokudera stubbornly stayed put. "We promised! _You_ promised! You _have_ to be there!"

"I told you already that I didn't want to come here in the first place!" Gokudera shot back.

Dino pouted.

He ignored the pout.

Dino continued pouting.

Gokudera's right eye twitched.

"Oh, for the love of-" he began, frustrated, "Will you stop doing that?"

"B-but..." The pout remained.

Gokudera swore that he could feel a vein throb in his temple.

"_Fine_," he snapped, "I'll get ready. Just leave me alone. And stop making that face. It's ugly."

Dino immediately stopped pouting.

"You're the best, Gokudera!" Dino grinned, hugging the grumpy male.

"Yeah, yeah, now get out of my room, clumsy idiot," Gokudera grumbled.

* * *

"Uwaa...! What a turn out!" Dino said in amazement as he saw the crowd gathering inside the bookstore just as he stepped out of the car. Why, the queue to get their books signed even extended to a long line outside of the bookshop. Dino looked at Gokudera excitedly, his eyes twinkling. "You're famous...!"

Gokudera eyed the crowd outside of the shop, completely speechless. Even though he did not want to come here in the first place, even he could not deny that he felt quite proud that his works were_ this_ appreciated. He had never anticipated that his works were this popular since the Japanese versions of his books were only introduced a few months ago. Gokudera got out of the car, suddenly feeling quite self-conscious, ignoring the curious looks from strangers, the way Dino was yelling at everyone that "The writer G. Archery has arrived!" while grinning broadly, and the way everyone started chattering in excitement. A few gasps of "He's so handsome...!" and "I didn't expect him to be so young...!" reached his ears, but he ignored those as well.

Dino clapped a hand on Gokudera's shoulder, seemingly pleased with the turn-out.

"Am I an awesome manager, or what?" Dino said cheerfully. "Your book signing is a success even before it started!"

Gokudera did not answer. He was still a bit angry at Dino for dragging him here to Namimori, but right now... The feeling of happiness from the knowledge that his work was appreciated right here in Japan overwhelmed that. Still, he could not shake off the feeling of unease that he might meet someone he did not want to. He just hoped that nothing would go wrong.

He would make Dino pay next time. But right now, he had a book signing to attend.

* * *

Upon awakening, Yamamoto yawned widely and stretched his arms above his head. This was nice. He rubbed away the remaining sleep in his eyes before looking around the room that he was in, his mood good.

He was staying at his best friend Tsunayoshi Sawada's house. Not for too long, though. Just for a few days so that he could attend the reunion and so that he could spend time with some friends right here in Namimori. Normally, he would have just stayed at a hotel since he could afford it and also because he did not want to trouble any of his friends, but Tsuna insisted on it, saying that it had been a long time since Yamamoto had been to his house. And that, was how Yamamoto ended here. Not that he regretted it, of course.

Yamamoto looked around the room that he was in once more. Tsuna was doing quite well for himself, he noted.

Granted, it was not as big as his own house, but it was still nice. It was tidy, and quite modest. But Yamamoto knew not to be fooled by this. He chuckled. Because he knew for a fact that Tsuna's room was the messiest room that he had ever encountered in his life. The brown-haired male must have just tidied this guest room, just for him, a fact that Yamamoto appreciated.

Speaking of Tsuna, was he awake yet?

He and Tsuna had stayed up quite late catching up on old times. It seemed that Tsuna was just as excited as he was about the reunion. They had not seen everyone gathered in the same place in such a long time. He and Tsuna did not stop talking until Tsuna suddenly fell flat on his face on the table from sheer exhaustion. It was then that they knew that it was time for bed. Yamamoto laughed lightly at the memory, though the laugh was accompanied with a slight feeling of guilt for keeping his host up for so long.

The baseball player jumped out of bed. Well, time to start the day. No use staying in bed the whole day.

After brushing his teeth, showering and getting ready for the day, Yamamoto went downstairs to the kitchen where he heard the sound of something being fried. The first thing that greeted him was the sight of Tsuna frying a couple of eggs for them.

"Good morning!" Yamamoto greeted.

"Oh," Tsuna said, startled. He smiled kindly upon seeing Yamamoto. "Good morning. How are you feeling, Yamamoto?"

"Great," Yamamoto responded without missing a beat. "I slept well. Thanks for having me here, Tsuna. It's just like old times."

Tsuna laughed. "You make me feel old when you say that, Yamamoto."

"Haha! Sorry, sorry... Need any help?"

"Mm~" Tsuna hummed. He switched off the fire on the stove and put the fried eggs onto a big plate. "It's fine. I just finished, actually. Just take a seat and make yourself comfortable; you're the guest, after all."

"Wow... This looks good," Yamamoto said as he sat down.

It seemed that while Yamamoto was asleep, Tsuna had managed to whip up a good breakfast for them. Fried eggs, toast, a bit of bacon and best of all, a jug of milk... It was different from a typical Japanese breakfast; it seemed that Tsuna picked up a thing or two from his business trips overseas. Not that Yamamoto minded. He was used to eating such meals every now and then. As soon Tsuna sat down and began to eat, the baseball player dug in with relish. He had not eaten a home cooked meal in quite awhile, and this was good.

"This is good, Tsuna," Yamamoto said after gulping down a glass of milk. "Thanks!"

Tsuna beamed, happy to see his best friend enjoying himself. "You're welcome."

Yamamoto was about to go back to eating when something caught his eye. The advertisement about the reunion lay on the table innocently, reminding him of something.

"Ahh... Tsuna?"

"Hmm?" The brown-haired male poked at a piece of bacon absently. "What's up?"

Yamamoto scratched the back of his neck, wondering how to put his question into words. "Ahh... Do you know who else is going to the reunion tonight?"

At the hopeful tone in Yamamoto's voice, Tsuna looked up at him curiously. The meaning behind Yamamoto's question did not go past Tsuna. "Well..." he said carefully, knowing exactly where this conversation was leading to. "I've not asked everyone, so I don't know. But the usual crowd will be there, I should think, since most of them still live nearby Namimori." He smiled at Yamamoto apologetically, hoping that he did not disappoint his friend too much. "I'm sorry."

"E-ehhh... It's fine!" Yamamoto laughed, brushing it off. "It's fine. I'll find out anyway by tonight, so don't you worry about it."

"If you say so..." Tsuna said doubtfully. He doubted that it was fine at all.

"Oh, and one more thing, Tsuna...!" Yamamoto said so suddenly that Tsuna nearly dropped the piece of toast that he was in the middle of buttering.

"Don't do that...!" Tsuna clutched at his chest, panicked.

"Sorry..."

Tsuna straightened up and waved a hand in front of Yamamoto dismissively. "It's fine. What is it, Yamamoto?"

"Well..." Yamamoto began, "Is it okay if I go to the school a little earlier by myself later?"

Tsuna blinked. "Sure, there's no need to ask, really, Yamamoto."

"Thanks!" Yamamoto cheered before going back to eating his breakfast.

_Tonight_, Yamamoto thought as he chewed on a piece of bacon. _Tonight I will definitely find out_.

* * *

Although he knew that he was _more_ than a little early (he was well over an hour too early) Yamamoto could not help visiting the school again. The baseball player walked in the halls eagerly, like a child that was on his first day of school. From the front gate to now, when he was walking here in the halls, every single thing that he saw here brought back a memory, just like how walking around Namimori did. Except this time, the memories were more vivid here in school. Perhaps it was because he had spent most of his time here in school (not counting the sports field as well) and that this was the place where he met many people who were important or made their mark in his life.

There was Tsuna, of course.

One of his best friends. He had met Tsuna when he was about fourteen years old. Yamamoto, being the baseball-addict that he was, usually forgot or was too tired to do his homework, and as a penalty, he was always given detention after school. And Tsuna, who was always tardy, happened to get detention on the same day that Yamamoto did. It was then that they met and got to know each other. Due to Yamamoto's easy going nature, it was easy for him to build a bond of friendship with Tsuna, who was a nice person.

There was Ryohei, a fellow sportsman.

Yamamoto remembered that he and the white-haired male used to hang out a lot after school to do some serious training. Training that Ryohei would dub as "extreme". And extreme, they were. It was not surprising to see both Yamamoto and Ryohei making fifty rounds around Namimori as a "warm up".

There was Hibari Kyoya, a school prefect.

Though he was not very friendly and was not really someone that Yamamoto could call his friend, he certainly made his mark in Yamamoto's life as the one who had bitten him to death on several occasions. A few times for being tardy and a couple of times for "crowding". Now, Yamamoto may be strong, but he had never met someone quite like Hibari. So far, he was the only one able to inflict damage on the baseball player without so much as an effort.

There was also Haru Miura, the girl that had one of the biggest crushes on Tsuna, ever.

Yamamoto remembered the times when she used to chase Tsuna around in the halls, regardless of whether he liked it or not. And Tsuna, being Tsuna, certainly did not like it. Though she was rather eccentric, she was nice and would often help Yamamoto out with homework should he ask.

Then, there were those siblings, Mukuro and Chrome.

Now, he was not so close to them, but he could not help remembering them. They were so alike that Yamamoto mistook them as twins, and only found out later that they were not, that Mukuro was a few years older than Chrome. Mukuro was known for the parties that he threw and also for the pranks that he pulled. But most of all, he was known for the fights that he had with Hibari. He was the only one who was able to infuriate Hibari and also the only one to beat him in a fight. Though Yamamoto trusted him, his best friend seemed to hate him, calling him a "shady character".

And as for his best friend... Yamamoto bit his bottom lip.

He opened the door that he knew led to the classroom that he was in in his final year of high school, and before he knew it, a sigh escaped his lips.

This familiar sight... The image of the desks all arranged in tidy rows, the blackboard that was nailed to the wall, the posters and notes tacked to the bulletin board at the back of class... He had these imprinted to his memory.

He walked between the rows and rows of tables and finally stopped at two tables right at the back in the corner of the room. He placed his hand on the surface of one of them, splaying his fingers on the surface as he did so.

He remembered this as well.

This was where he used to sit in this class. And this... Yamamoto put his hand on the other table. This was where his best friend used to sit. He used to sit right here, right next to him.

The edges of Yamamoto's lips fell slightly.

His best friend...

Other than Tsuna, he had another best friend.

And that best friend went by the name Gokudera Hayato.

Yamamoto closed his eyes, trying to picture the other in his mind. Without a problem, the image of a silver-haired male with green eyes came to mind. He remembered it all. Gokudera's fair skin, the way he smiled, the way he frowned, the way he laughed, the way he always had a cigarette hanging from his mouth all the time... Of course. Yamamoto opened his eyes and he smiled a watery smile. There was no way he could forget a person that was so important to him. He did not even have to _try_ to remember him even though it had been years since he last saw or even heard from Gokudera.

_"Hi, my name is Yamamoto Takeshi!" Yamamoto held out his hand towards the green-eyed child who was the same age as he was. "What's your name?"  
_

_The child accepted the hand that was offered to him and stood up._

_"Go... Gokudera Hayato."_

_Gokudera_... Yamamoto ran a finger across the table surface.

He had met Gokudera when he was in kindergarten. They played with each other as children, but not that much since Gokudera was a more quiet child that enjoyed reading books, playing piano and drawing while Yamamoto preferred making friends, run around playing sports and just plain making a mess of things.

As they grew up, they entered the same elementary school.

_"Hey..." His friend nudged him in the arm. He nodded at the silver-haired boy that sat in the corner. "Know who that is?"_

_"Mm..." Yamamoto thought hard, trying to remember. "I think his name is Gokudera Hayato, if I'm not mistaken."_

They spoke to each other sometimes, but not that much. All he knew about Gokudera was that he went back to Italy during the holidays to visit his mother, who was sickly, because his parents were divorced and no longer living with each other. Yamamoto did not talk to Gokudera much, nor did the other seem that interested to pursue anything more than being a mere acquaintance to Yamamoto. They would often pass by each other in the hallway without giving the other so much as a thought.

It was only when Yamamoto entered Namimori High School, that it all started. Gokudera's mother passed away, finally giving in to the sickness that had been plaguing her for many years. Gokudera returned to Japan, different from before. Where he used to wear clothes that most parents would call "proper" in the past, he came back wearing clothes that made him look like a delinquent. The fact that he took up smoking and got involved with fights did not help matters either.

_"Class... We have a new friend with us today," said the class teacher. She placed her hands on a silver-haired teen with green eyes. From his looks, it was easy to tell that he was obviously not Japanese. "His name is Gokudera Hayato, and he's from Italy...! Please make friends with him and make him feel welcome."_

And though Gokudera had stayed in Japan for most of his life, he was still introduced to the class as a foreign student, much to Gokudera's annoyance. Seeing Gokudera then caught Yamamoto's attention. He had met many people in his life and though Gokudera seemed familiar to him, he could not for the life of him, remember who he was. He was so different from the Gokudera back then. So Yamamoto tried talking to him, to try and remember, hoping that a memory would click in his mind. It was difficult to talk to Gokudera since he often brushed Yamamoto off and told him to go away, but Yamamoto persisted no matter what the other said or did.

If anything, his behaviour intrigued him because no one had ever treated Yamamoto as such.

Most people placed Yamamoto in high regard, but Gokudera?

No. There was no such thing.

It took him awhile and a little of pain (Gokudera certainly did not make getting to know him easy), but finally, Gokudera opened up to him little by little. And before they knew it, from bickering with each other all the time (or at least, Gokudera did most of the bickering), Yamamoto and Gokudera had become the best of friends. It was not unusual to see them hanging out together all the time. And it was with Gokudera that Yamamoto shared a lot of fond memories with, though the Italian would never admit this.

"Gokudera..." Yamamoto mumbled.

_Is he coming tonight?_

_Or is this something that's too much to hope for?_

Yamamoto Takeshi did not know.

* * *

So far so good. Nothing particularly important happened so far, and Gokudera was grateful for that. Now that the signing was nearly over, he was starting to feel more relaxed. Gokudera looked at his watch. It was something that he had been doing a lot now that it was getting late. His wrist hurt from signing so many books, and goodness, he had never smiled so much in one day. He rubbed at his temple tiredly when he noticed that it was getting closer to _that_ time.

"Waa... Thank you so much, Mr. Archery!" a teenaged girl squealed when Gokudera finished signing her book. She held the book to her chest, her eyes shining. If she could, she would have definitely hugged Gokudera a long time ago. God knows how many times he had been hugged, or requested to hug someone today. "You're the best...!"

Gokudera smiled at the teen and said nothing as she skipped away, apparently content now that she had met her idol.

Dino, who had been standing by Gokudera's side since the signing had begun, looked at the writer in concern. The fact that Gokudera was not as happy as he should have been did not escape the blonde, nor did the fact that Gokudera's mood was growing steadily worse as the event wore on. When he saw Gokudera look at his watch for... honestly, he had lost count of how many times, Dino looked at his own, and when he saw what time it was, his mouth opened to form an "O". No wonder Gokudera was in such a bad mood.

Well. The edges of Dino's lips twitched, wanting to pull themselves up into a grin. He knew _exactly_ what to do to cure that.

He just hoped that Gokudera would not kill him later on.

As soon as the signing was over, Dino poked Gokudera in the arm.

"What?" Gokudera snapped, moody.

"Wow, don't be so angry...!" Dino sweatdropped, laughing nervously. "I just wanted to invite you to dinner is all."

Gokudera furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Dinner...?"

"Yeah!" Dino confirmed. He wrapped an arm around Gokudera's shoulders. "Come on, it'll be fun...!" He tried to persuade Gokudera. "It will certainly be good for you to have a nice dinner after such a long day. My treat. What do you say?"

"Hmm..." Gokudera thought about it. "Well, I can't say no to that..."

"Great!" Dino grabbed the writer by the hand, dragging him to the car that they had rented. "I'm going to drive, so you just relax, okay?" After making sure that Gokudera was seated, Dino sat in the driver's seat, making sure to remember to wear the seat belt. He looked back. "All buckled up, Haya-chan?"

"Yes," came Gokudera's irritated reply. "And will you stop calling me that?"

"Only when pigs fly, Haya-chan," Dino laughed softly as he started the engine.

"Hn."

Gokudera fell back against the seat and looked out of the window listlessly. Well, today was... eventful. Though he was relieved that he did not see anyone familiar, he could not help feeling somewhat disappointed. Don't get him wrong. He did not want to meet anyone here. But, a glimpse of that certain someone would have been nice... If he was even here. Just the thought that he might be here in Namimori, so close to where Gokudera was, made excitement race in his veins.

Wait. Gokudera smacked his forehead lightly. What was he thinking?

He sank in his seat, feeling a headache coming on. He needed to relax. He needed to have a nice long sleep. Or maybe curl up in a corner and read a book about UMAs. Yeah. That's it. That was exactly what he needed to unwind and forget everything. Gokudera pinched the bridge on his nose, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to counter the headache that had suddenly decided to hit him.

"Hey, Dino?"

"Hmm?"

"Where are we going?"

A laugh. Gokudera did not think much about it, though.

"You'll see. We'll be reaching the restaurant right about..."

"Right about...?" Gokudera prompted the other to continue.

No answer.

"Dino...?"

Still no answer.

"Oi, Dino!" Gokudera said, irritated. "I'm talking to you...!"

The car came to a sudden halt.

"... now!" Dino finished. The blonde looked back at Gokudera, grinning. "You can come out now, Gokudera! I just need to park the car."

"About damned time..." Gokudera unbuckled himself and stepped out of the car. When he looked up however, he did not see a restaurant. Instead, he saw Namimori High School standing before him, tall and proud. He blinked. "Wait a minute..." he said, turning around, expecting to see Dino's equally confused face to look out of the window. "Dino, this isn't a restaurant. This is-"

"Namimori High School, I know," Dino said cheerily.

"Exactly, you clumsy idiot, I-"

"Oops, can't hear you, Haya-chan! The engine is so loud!" Dino said, suddenly speaking in a loud voice.

Gokudera looked at Dino incredulously. Had the man suddenly gone mad?

"No, it isn't!"

"Yes, it is!" Dino said, even louder. So loud that he was practically yelling. "I'm sorry, I can't hear you, and I've got to go. I need to go meet some people!"

People, what people?

"No, you're not...!" Gokudera fumed.

"What was that? I can't hear you over the engine, Haya-chan...!"

"Stop lying, you idiot, or I'll-"

"I'm not lying, Haya-chan!"

"Will you STOP calling me that?"

"I gotta go now, but enjoy the reunion, won't you? I'll pick you up when it's over!"

"Reunion? WHAT?"

"That's right, reunion! See you when it's over, Haya-chan...!"

"Hey, wait, you bastard...!" Gokudera yelled out.

But it was too late. Dino had already driven off, leaving a very angry Gokudera behind. Gokudera watched, glaring, as the car quickly disappeared from his view. And it was only when the car was completely gone from his sight did Dino's words sink in.

_"I gotta go now, but enjoy the reunion, won't you?"_

"That bastard! He did this on purpose!" Gokudera cursed under his breath. He should have known that the dinner was a lie cooked up by that idiot just so that he could attend that thing. Dino had been bugging him to attend the reunion for quite some time now. He looked up at the school once more, breathing hard and glaring. Well. He clenched his hands into fists. Since he was here, and since he had no way of getting home - he scowled at this - he supposed that there was no harm in checking things out. He could not say that he was not curious; because he most certainly was. Besides, what was the worst that could happen? That person probably would not be there anyway.

Dino was going to be so dead. Gokudera would make sure of it.

With his heart in his mouth, Gokudera took a step towards Namimori High School.

* * *

**DIOR: **Ahh... Such a late update. I blame writer's block. ^^; Thank you so much for the support in the previous chapter. Hope this chapter is fine. ^^; Reviews are much loved.


	3. Reunion

Tsuna was having a good time. What could he say? He had been looking forward to this for awhile now. The gym, where the reunion was held, was well-decorated. Nothing too fancy. Just a couple of banners, coloured lights, and posters here and there. Practically everyone he knew was here. Kyoko Sasagawa; his high school crush. Hibari Kyoya; the school prefect. Ryohei Sasagawa; the school jock and older brother to Kyoko. Haru Miura; the girl who _still_ had a crush on him. Rokudo Mukuro; the... actually, he was not sure what word to use to describe him.

During the span of the two hours he had been here, Tsuna had spoken to all of the people he knew, catching up with all of them. After doing so, he realised just how much he had missed. All of them did not seem to have changed, though. They were all the same as ever, but it seemed the relationships between some of them have changed. For example, Tsuna did not know whether it was his imagination or not, but Mukuro and Hibari, who were sworn enemies back in high school, looked like they were a little too close to even have their relationship counted as friendship.

Why, he even saw Mukuro lean quite close to Hibari to whisper to him, and Hibari did not even push him away, like Tsuna expected. Instead, the ex-prefect simply closed his eyes and shivered. He almost looked like he liked it.

But Tsuna pushed this to the back of his mind. It must have been his imagination.

Mukuro and Hibari?

Impossible.

It seemed that everyone he knew from back then were doing quite well. Kyoko had chosen to take up interior design. Hibari was, unsurprisingly, a policeman - unsurprising because he liked to maintain discipline. Ryohei owned his own dojo. Haru was a kindergarten teacher - a role that Tsuna thought fit her perfectly because she loved children. Mukuro was... surprisingly, a detective. Surprising, because Tsuna always imagined Mukuro to have something to do with the mafia, seeing how shady his character was. Or a drug dealer.

Everyone was here, except for Gokudera. Tsuna's shoulders sagged slightly at this thought, disappointed. If he was disappointed that he could not meet the Italian, he could not imagine what it must be like for Yamamoto, who Tsuna knew was hoping that Gokudera would show up.

The look that crossed Yamamoto's face when he came down to the reunion only to see that a certain silver-haired friend was not there was enough to give himself away to Tsuna, no matter how brief the moment was. And though Yamamoto laughed and chatted with everyone at the party, Tsuna did not miss the empty look in his eyes whenever Yamamoto was alone.

Tsuna shook his head. As much as he would like to help Yamamoto out, he was not sure how to since even the baseball player did not know what was wrong.

Speaking of Yamamoto, where was he?

Tsuna scanned his surroundings. He did not see his friend anywhere in the crowd.

_Where is he?_

He drained his punch and placed the plastic cup onto the table before walking over to Mukuro, who was the closest. Perhaps he knew something.

"Yes? How can I help you?" Mukuro said, raising an eyebrow when he saw Tsuna approach him.

Ignoring the arrogant tone in Mukuro's voice, Tsuna quickly asked, "Have you seen Yamamoto?"

"Hmm?" Mukuro tilted his head, a sly smile making its way to his face. "Kufufu, lost your friend now, have we?"

"Ahh..." Tsuna scratched the back of his neck nervously. Man, even after so many years, Mukuro was still able to make him feel uneasy. Next to Mukuro sat Hibari, who glared at him over the rim of his cup, as though to say, "Do not crowd, or I will bite you to death." That certainly did not help with his nervousness. Hibari and Mukuro were a scary combination. "I just need to find him. Do you know where he is?"

Mukuro placed his chin on the palm of his hand, looking thoughtful. "The baseball player _did_ mention that he was going to go to the rooftop. Perhaps you will find him there."

* * *

Yamamoto stood on the rooftop of Namimori High School, looking up at the stars. Though he always hung out with his friends here back then, this was the first time for him to see the stars from here; he had never been here at night. Many sparkling diamonds were set against the black blanket of night sky, and the moon was placed in the middle of it all, glowing. The view was extremely beautiful. He closed his eyes, feeling the light, cool breeze play across his skin, making his hair sway slightly.

_As usual, they were having their lunch up on the rooftop. Gokudera was sitting next to Yamamoto, eating his own lunch. Tsuna had just gone downstairs to hand in his homework which Gokudera had kindly helped him with during recess. _

_"It's too damned cold up here," the Italian grumbled._

_"Oh?" Yamamoto said, confused. "It's warm to me."_

_Gokudera cast him an irritated look. "That's only because you have rhino hide for skin, stupid."_

_Yamamoto only laughed. "Gokudera is so witty!"_

_"I'm not. I was just telling you the truth." _

_The silver-haired teen turned back to poking at the food in his lunch box moodily. He was not in a very good mood. The cold weather was not helping him with his mood at all. Gokudera was so lost in his thoughts that he was startled when he suddenly felt something being placed upon his shoulders, and along with that, warm hands held his shoulders gently before slipping away._

_Gokudera looked up and saw his friend Yamamoto Takeshi smiling at him._

_"My jacket," Yamamoto said kindly, "You need it more than me."_

_Gokudera blinked, something that was not unlike a blush spreading across his cheeks._

_"Che," the younger said, turning back to his food, "Doing such unnecessary things."_

It was so calm up here. So quiet.

A stark difference to the party that was being held in the gym.

Here, he was the only one.

Yamamoto let out the breath that he had been holding in, and a bitter smile pulled at the edges of his lips.

Of course Gokudera did not come.

What did he expect?

Hoping, wishing for such a thing to happen when Gokudera so clearly hated him. How... pitiful. Yamamoto opened his eyes once more and was greeted with the sight of the decorated night sky. He did not even jump when he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder; he had heard the other's footsteps approach him before hand.

"Yamamoto?" came a voice that Yamamoto knew belonged to Tsuna. "Are you going to come on down to the party?"

The baseball player took a few calming breaths before he shifted his gaze from the night sky to his worried best friend's face. He smiled, the serious expression that was on his face moments ago now no more.

"Ahh... Is it okay if I stay up here for awhile longer, Tsuna?" Yamamoto said. "I don't feel like going back there yet."

Tsuna nodded in understanding, letting his hand slip from Yamamoto's shoulder.

"Of course."

Yamamoto flashed him another smile. "Thank you, Tsuna."

* * *

"Heh," Gokudera said to himself as he walked in the hallway, "Not much has changed. Guess I shouldn't be surprised."

He stopped in front of a trophy case that proudly displayed the pictures of past athletes that had studied here. Being here almost made him feel like he was back in his school days. Almost. Not much had changed over the years. The building looked the same as always. Gokudera's fingers ghosted over the glass surface of the case. There, right there in one of the pictures was a familiar face that he knew so well.

He bit the inside of his cheek.

Yamamoto Takeshi.

_Gokudera was busy writing down the answer to the math problem that he was working on when he nearly fell off of his chair due to a certain someone suddenly barging into the classroom and slamming the palms of his hands onto the table. Yamamoto's eyes were shining and a silly smile adorned his face. He looked so stupid right now that Gokudera felt like smacking him._

_"Gokudera!"_

_"What?" he snapped, irritated._

_"Guess what!"_

_Gokudera narrowed his eyes. "I don't have time for guessing games. Either you tell me now or you piss off."_

_"Ha ha! Funny as always, Gokudera!" Yamamoto plopped himself onto the empty seat next to Gokudera's. "I just realised that my baseball game is only a week away from now!"_

_He looked at him incredulously. "Is THAT what you're so excited about, baseball idiot?"_

_Yamamoto nodded happily._

_"I can't believe this..." Gokudera muttered, returning to solving the math problem. "You're bothering me for this shit?"_

_"Nn... Don't be like that. Baseball is fun!"_

_Gokudera snorted. "For you, maybe."_

_Yamamoto made no response to that, and so, a comfortable silence between them followed, with the only sounds that could be heard were the sound of their classmates talking and of the sound of Gokudera's pen scratching upon the paper's surface. Of course, that silence was broken by none other than Yamamoto_

_"Gokudera... Can I ask you a question?"_

_"What NOW?"_

_"Will you come to my baseball game next weekend?"_

_The sound of pen scratching upon paper stopped. Gokudera stared at the paper that was filled with numbers that he had written. After awhile, the sound resumed. "I'll think about it," Gokudera said, his voice indifferent._

In the end, he _did_ turn up for that idiot's game, much to Yamamoto's delight. And honestly, though he hated baseball, he did not regret showing up. At all. Gokudera blinked, and his vision focused on the picture in the case again.

In the picture, the baseball player was smiling brightly, along with the rest of the baseball team. He remembered that just about anything that was baseball-related made the young man excited. He would often chatter away about baseball, a topic that Gokudera did not particularly care about but listened to him anyway.

_I wonder how he is doing now?_

_Is he still the same as before?_

_Or has he changed?_

Gokudera shook his head. He should not be thinking of such things. Judging from what the media was saying about him, Gokudera should already know the answer. Heck, he would not be surprised if Yamamoto had clean forgotten about him, as painful as the thought is.

Reluctantly, he pulled his gaze away from that smiling face and looked down the hallway, where he could hear the sounds of music and of people chattering away. Obviously, that was where the party was being held. And he, Gokudera, was purposely lingering in the hallway, putting off entering the gym. His behaviour right now was so ridiculous that he could almost scorn himself. What was he so afraid of, anyway? He was a grown man, for crying out loud...!

He glanced at his watch, still hesitant.

_A little over half an hour more till the party is over._

_That's not too long. Most of them must have gone back home by now._ He could hang around for half an hour, right? He had nothing else better to do anyway. It took a few more seconds of hesitation, but when his mind was finally made up, he took slow, heavy steps towards where the party was held.

The music and chatter only grew louder as he neared the gym.

* * *

Tsuna was just going to get a drink when he suddenly caught sight of a well-dressed, silver-haired man walking into the room. Tsuna blinked several times, unable to believe his eyes. That could not possibly be him, could it? But sure enough, that _was_ his best friend. There was no mistaking it.

"Gokudera!" Tsuna called out, waving at the Italian enthusiastically as he made his way towards him.

Upon hearing his name, Gokudera immediately looked in his direction.

"T-Tsuna?" Gokudera said, shocked, when he realised who it was.

Tsuna nodded fervently as he shook a still-shocked Gokudera's hand. "Come on, Gokudera! We've not seen you in so long! You have _got_ to meet everyone!" he said energetically, dragging Gokudera towards their group of friends.

"Tsuna! Slow down...!"

* * *

Dino had just gotten out of the store when he decided to check his watch. Huh. The reunion should be over soon. He wondered if Gokudera was having fun?

The image of a sour faced Gokudera cursing Dino Cavallone off of the face of the Earth immediately appeared in his mind's eye.

He just knew that Gokudera was going to clobber him after this. The manager shrugged. Oh well. It was not like he had never been hit by Gokudera in some way. The Italian could be so violent sometimes. Dino walked towards the car that he had rented, pulling out the car key from his pocket. He should get going to pick Gokudera up. If he was late, he would suffer even more from Gokudera's wrath.

* * *

After spending a few minutes being so tightly wound up, Gokudera slowly relaxed when he saw that the baseball player was nowhere in sight. Now that he was able to relax, Gokudera actually found himself enjoying the party. With everyone here, it really was like being back in school again, albeit, with a few differences. One of them being that everyone here were no longer teenagers; they were now all adults. The other was... there seemed to be a few changes in the relationships between some of them. Did he just see Mukuro and Hibari holding hands under the table?

...

It must be a trick of the light.

Either that, or there was something wrong with his eyes. Something very, very, _very_ wrong.

Gokudera slowly drank the cup of punch as he listened to Tsuna, Haru, Ryohei and Kyoko talk about their work. Throughout their whole conversation, Gokudera had not said a word.

"Oi, Octopus Head!" Ryohei slung an arm over Gokudera's shoulders. "You still haven't told us what job you have!"

"Why, yes," Mukuro drawled, his usual frustrating smile on his face, "You haven't told us. Do tell."

Gokudera glared at Ryohei, annoyed, but he answered the man's question anyway.

"I... write," Gokudera replied. He did not feel like talking about his work.

"Ahh, really?" Haru said, interested. "What does Gokudera write?"

"... Stuff," he answered evasively.

"Ehh...? You have to be more specific than that!"

Irritated, Gokudera snapped, "Well, I'm not going to be, stupid woman!"

"Haru is not stupid!"

"You guys..." Tsuna laughed nervously as he saw Gokudera and Haru begin to argue with each other, like they always did whenever they interacted with each other. Unless someone stopped them, their arguments could last for hours.

"Some things never change," Mukuro commented.

For once, Tsuna agreed with Mukuro.

* * *

Dino was wandering the hallway just like Yamamoto and Gokudera had been not too long ago. The manager looked around as he walked, wonder in his eyes.

_So this is where Gokudera went to school when he was a teenager..._ Dino mused.

Now. Dino stopped in his tracks after wandering around the building for what must have been about twenty minutes. Where was the party held? He sighed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. If he was even five minutes late, he would not put it past Gokudera to be mad at him for much longer than necessary. That man can hold a grudge. He could be such a woman sometimes.

...

You know what?

... Forget that you even read that.

Upon spotting a man who was currently mopping the floor, Dino brightened up. Judging from what he was doing and from his uniform, he must be the school janitor.

"Hello!" Dino greeted the man in a friendly manner.

The man looked up, an inquiring look on his face. "Yes?" he said.

"Sorry to bother you, but do you know where the reunion party is being held? I need to pick up a friend and I'm kind of lost..." Dino laughed awkwardly.

"Reunion...?" the man echoed. "Ah. I'll show you where it is. It's not too far from here."

"Oh, thank you!" Dino gushed.

And just like the man said, it certainly did not take them long. It only took them a few minutes to reach the gym, and once they reached there, Dino shook the janitor's hand.

"Thank you very much!" he said once more.

"You're welcome." The man tipped his hat to Dino before returning to doing his duties.

_What a nice man_, Dino thought as he walked into the gym._ Ah, it seems that the party is still on._ Though the party was nearly over, the gym was still bursting with life. It seemed that most of them were not eager to go back home just yet, wanting to bask in the memory of their school days for just a while longer. Dino chuckled. He could understand that feeling, he supposed.

Hazel eyes scanned the gym, trying his best to try and find the writer. When he laid eyes on a few females, some of them giggled and blushed. Dino raised an eyebrow.

Well. A feeling of pride started to flower within him. Even here, he was a ladykiller. Dino could not help but enjoy having his ego get stroked. The blonde winked at them, causing them to burst into a fresh fit of giggles and blushing once more. Not bad.

Ahh wait.

He was supposed to be looking for Gokudera, not flirting with women.

It took Dino a few minutes, but finally, he found Gokudera Hayato standing in the corner with a small group of people. He was currently arguing with a brown-haired woman. Dino sweatdropped. Fighting again? Why was he not surprised? Gokudera looked like he was about to bust a vein. Dino heaved out a deep breath, rubbing his cheek. Damn. It looked like he would have to stop that fight before it escalates.

Dino neared the group, careful not to bump into anyone.

"Hahi! You're the stupid one!"

"No, you are!"

"I just asked you a question!"

"Well, I don't want to answer it, stupid woman!"

Dino actually winced upon hearing the words "stupid woman" slip past the Italian's lips without so much as a second thought. _Waa, Gokudera... Watch your mouth when talking to women, please!_ Dino mentally pleaded. Gokudera could be so careless sometimes.

Just when the woman that Gokudera was arguing with was about to deliver a scathing reply to Gokudera, Dino came up behind him and grabbed his hand.

"Come on, let's go now, Gokudera...!" Dino said.

"Wha-!" Gokudera exclaimed, surprised at the sudden contact. He turned around sharply to look at who had grabbed his hand and the person that green eyes laid on only made Gokudera's scowl deepen. "You!" he hissed. "Where have you been? I want to talk to you! You are- Mmpf...!"

Dino had clapped a hand over Gokudera's mouth.

"Ha ha ha! Sorry about that everyone!" Dino laughed nervously as he apologised to what must have been Gokudera's bewildered group of friends. "But Gokudera here needs to go back home, so I'll need to steal him away from all of you...!"

Everyone stared in open-mouthed silence as they watched Dino drag an agitated Gokudera Hayato away from them.

Tsuna blinked. "What just happened...?"

Everyone else was just as speechless as he was. Even Haru, who had been arguing with Gokudera nonstop earlier. Everyone except Mukuro that is. The man was laughing softly, apparently amused with the display.

"Why," Mukuro said, "Isn't it obvious?"

"What do you mean?" Haru said.

"Your friend was being brought back home by his lover."

"Mukuro!" Haru said, appalled. "Gokudera-kun isn't homosexual!"

"Then you are blind," Mukuro said pointedly, "He is obviously gay."

"Uwaa... Don't say such things, Mukuro!" Tsuna choked.

"Yes, the thought alone is disturbing enough," Hibari cut in, and immediately received a smirk from Mukuro upon saying it.

The blue-haired man shrugged. "Well, if you insist. It's not like it really matters to me."

* * *

"Dino Cavallone!" Gokudera whirled on the blonde, furious, "You did this on purpose! You set me up! You knew that I didn't want to come here and yet you brought me here and-"

"Whoa, whoa there, Haya-chan!" Dino raised his hands in front of him in surrender, "Relax, man! It's just a reunion!"

"JUST?" Gokudera exploded. "What do you mean _just_? It doesn't matter, idiot, I didn't want to come here anyway and you dragged me here-"

"Come now, Haya-chan. It wasn't that bad, right?"

"And STOP calling me that! I swear, if we weren't in public, I would have long killed you-"

"Waa...!" Dino quickly wrapped an arm around Gokudera's shoulders. He squeezed his shoulder. "Don't do that! You would miss me if you did that. And besides, Haya-chan is a cute name~"

"To hell that that name is cute!" Gokudera spat, "Get away from me, Cavallone. I don't even want to be near you right now!"

Dino pouted. "Don't be like that. I didn't know that you didn't want to come here. I couldn't hear you over the engine, remember?"

Oh, wonderful, now Dino was spouting nonsense.

Gokudera could feel a vein throb in his temple. "Go die! Don't give me that engine bullshit-"

"But it's true...!"

* * *

After being up on the rooftop for so long, Yamamoto finally decided that it was time to go back down. He did not even realise how long he had been there till he checked the time. It's amazing how quickly time flies. He walked down the stairs leisurely, not at all in a hurry to get back to the party. Somehow, he just was not in the mood. He sighed, feeling a bit guilty for missing a good portion of the party though he had been there for most of it. He would have to make it up to everyone later. Perhaps he could call them and invite them to go out tomorrow... After all, most of them were going to stay in Namimori for awhile before heading back to their homes.

Yamamoto had just reached the last step when he heard the sound of someone arguing and someone else who seemed to be trying to pacify the other.

He cocked his head slightly towards the sound.

_Is someone having a fight...?_

Curious, Yamamoto walked towards the sound, and he saw the backs of a man whose hair was a most curious shade of silver and a blonde man. The blonde had his arm slung over the other's shoulder and they seemed to be... bickering like an old married couple would. Well, the silver-haired man was the one who did most of the bickering. The blonde was trying to calm him, by speaking to him in a soothing voice, while the other simply refused to listen to him and kept trying to push him away. Finally, exasperated, the blonde pulled him into a hug in an attempt to get him to stay still.

Yamamoto shook his head, chuckling.

What a cute couple.

At least, that was what he thought until he suddenly caught sight of the silver-haired man's face.

...!

"Shut up, Dino! I told you to stop calling me Haya-chan! And stop hugging me, for God's sake!"

There was no mistaking it.

"But it's cute...!" the blonde insisted. He pouted. "I'll only stop hugging you if you promise to calm down, Haya-chan."

Yamamoto knew exactly who he was.

"Die!"

How could he not?

"Such a cruel thing to say! But I know that you don't mean it!"

Yamamoto had known him long enough.

"I meant it! Stop being so delusional!"

And he was... being held by someone else.

He clenched his hands into fists.

"Go-Gokudera...?" Yamamoto said uncertainly.

The silver-haired man immediately stopped struggling in Dino's arms.

Gokudera felt like he had stopped breathing altogether. His heart was hammering almost painfully against his chest. He was in so much shock that he did not bother to push Dino away like he had been attempting to do just moments before. That voice. He clenched his fists against Dino's chest. He swore that he knew that voice. There was no way that he could mistake it; he knew it so well. Almost fearfully, Gokudera turned to look in the direction that the voice came from, and what, or rather, who, he saw made his eyes widen. His heart stopped.

Dino was talking to him, but Gokudera did not hear him. He did not hear him at all.

All he saw was the man standing before them. And the man wore an equally astonished look on his face.

That man...

Gokudera's throat suddenly felt dry.

He knew him so well. That messy, spiky black hair. Those deep, brown eyes. That muscular frame and tanned skin. That... that was...

"Yamamoto?" Gokudera spluttered, disbelief flowing through his veins.

"Gokudera..." the man said, his voice soft, "So it _is_ you."

He did not answer. He simply continued staring, not sure of what to say.

And when brown eyes went down to look at how Dino's arms were wrapped around his frame, Gokudera honestly wanted the ground to swallow him whole right then and there. He really wished that Dino would let him go.

The silence that followed right after Yamamoto's statement, though short, was without a doubt, the most uncomfortable silence that Gokudera had ever had to experience in his entire life. It was so thick that you could practically slice through it with a knife. And the silence was only broken when a certain idiotic manager decided to talk.

"Oh, hello!" Dino said to Yamamoto, finally letting go of Gokudera. He flashed a confident smile to the baseball player as he stuck his hand out towards him. Yamamoto, being Yamamoto, accepted it and shook it, though he did not have his trademark smile on his face as he did so. "My name is Dino Cavallone! Are you a friend of Gokudera's?" Dino asked. He furrowed his eyebrows slightly, as though thinking, then laughed. "H-hey! You look awfully familiar. Have I met you before?"

"Ahh..."

"He looks familiar to you because he is Yamamoto Takeshi," Gokudera said quietly.

"E-ehh? Yamamoto Takeshi?" Dino looked at Gokudera, and then at Yamamoto, thoroughly surprised. "You mean that baseball player? W-wait..." he said to Yamamoto, looking at him closely, "Y-you're _Takeshi_?"

_"Are you that tired?" Dino murmured, not really expecting an answer._

_It was then that Gokudera mumbled once more in his sleep, and this time, Dino was able to make it out clearly. It was a name that Dino sometimes caught Gokudera mumbling in his sleep._

_Takeshi._

"Y-yeah... I am..." Yamamoto said slowly.

"I see..." Dino had a much too wide smile on his face for Gokudera's liking. He could practically see the wheels turning in Dino's mind; he was up to something. He turned to the writer. "Well, Haya-chan, it looks like I can't send you back to the hotel."

"What? Why not?"

"Well," Dino sighed, feigning unhappiness, "I think that there is something wrong with the engine so I'm going to have it checked. So you'll have to hitch a ride with someone else."

"Huh?" Gokudera said, irritated. "Don't lie! The engine was perfectly fine just now! You're just making things up!"

"No, I'm not. There really is something wrong with the engine!"

"Will you STOP it with your there-is-something-wrong-with-the-engine bullshit?"

"I can't when it's not bullshit, Haya-chan."

"Ts...! Don't call me that! And it IS bullshit."

"No, it isn't."

"Yes, it IS."

"No, it isn't."

"Yes, it IS."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No."

"YES, DAMMIT, CAVALLONE. STOP FUCKING LYING-"

"Either way," Dino cut in, "I can't send you back. You'll have to hitch a ride with some-"

"I'm NOT going to fucking hitch a ride with anyone when the car is perfect fine-"

"I'll do it," Yamamoto said suddenly.

Gokudera stared. Dino smirked.

"Wh-what?" Gokudera spluttered before he could stop himself.

"I'll give you a ride back," Yamamoto said simply.

"What?" Gokudera said, shocked, "N-no, it's fine, Dino is just-"

Dino clapped his hands. "Well! It's settled then! Yamamoto will be sending Gokudera back to the hotel!" He clapped a hand on Gokudera's shoulder. "So I'll be seeing you later, kay, Haya-chan?"

Gokudera could only gape at him.

That... Cavallone...!

That sneaky little bastard!

He was doing this on purpose again, wasn't he?

Gokudera was so absorbed in his thoughts of trying to come up with more ways to kill that damned Cavallone that he did not even notice Dino take his leave, leaving both Gokudera and Yamamoto alone together. Gokudera was only shaken out of his violent thoughts when he felt someone touch his wrist lightly.

Yamamoto laughed awkwardly. The laugh sounded so out of place, in Gokudera's opinion. It was not like his usual, merry laugh.

"Well, Gokudera," Yamamoto said, gesturing at the exit, "I guess we should get going?"

Gokudera only nodded stiffly, speechless.

* * *

Tsuna wanted to go out and have a round of drinks with the others, so Yamamoto had to call a taxi for them. Damn. If Gokudera had known that this would happen, he would have just called for a taxi himself. The ride back to the hotel was an awkward one. Both Yamamoto and Gokudera were not sure what to say to each other. Each time one of them tried to initiate a conversation, the words would simply die on their lips. Each time should one catch the other looking at him, the other would immediately look away, embarrassed at being caught. That uncomfortable silence reigned between them once more.

When they finally reached the hotel, even the walk to Gokudera's room was a long one. Gokudera did not want Yamamoto to walk him there, but the baseball player insisted.

They both clearly had so much to say to the other. It was just that they did not know how to say everything that they wanted to say.

Hence the silence.

Upon reaching Gokudera's room, Yamamoto stopped and turned to face the other.

"Ha ha. Well, this is it, isn't it?" Yamamoto said awkwardly.

Gokudera looked at his room door. "Yeah... I suppose..."

Silence. Yamamoto looked like he wanted to say something.

When he did not, Gokudera sighed. He took out his room key. "Well, thanks, Yamamoto. It was nice seeing you." He fitted the key into the lock, desperately wanting to remove himself from this awkward situation as soon as possible.

"Wait!" A hand suddenly reached out and held Gokudera's wrist. "Wait... Just... wait."

"Y-Yamamoto...?" Gokudera turned around.

* * *

"Ah!" Dino looked up from the magazine that he was reading when Gokudera opened the door to his room. Dino had been hanging around Gokudera's room, waiting for him to return. "How did your date with your Takeshi go, Haya-chan?" he teased. "Good?"

Gokudera sent a death glare in Dino's direction, not that his manager really cared.

"So, it was good, right?" Dino pressed. "Did the two of you kiss?"

At that, Gokudera picked up a cushion and threw it at Dino in the face. Hard.

"DIE!"

* * *

**DIOR:** Ahh this fic will soon be over. Thank you to everyone who has supported this fic :D Reviews are appreciated.


	4. Books

This. This was unbelievable.

This was horrible.

Gokudera could not believe how stupid he had been.

How reckless.

Even though he had nothing else to do last night, that did NOT mean that he had to go and join that damned reunion. Look where that led him. He cursed under his breath as he stuffed his clothes into his open suitcase, frustrated. He blamed this on Dino. That damned, meddling Dino Cavallone. But most of all, he blamed himself. He could have easily NOT attended that thing, but no... He just HAD to, didn't he? He just had to give in to curiosity and, and...

And into temptation.

And hope.

The temptation, the hope of possibly seeing him again.

_"Gokudera..."_

_The way that Yamamoto looked at him, eyes filled with so many conflicting emotions, but mostly sadness, made Gokudera freeze, unable to move. He did not even move when the distance between them shortened. Shortened dramatically until their breaths mingled with each other. Even though they were right outside the hotel room at the time, Gokudera did not do anything. He had done nothing to push the other away. If anything, though he had found that his heart stopped beating at the close proximity that they shared, and though he was a bit petrified and most definitely shocked, he found that he was, most of all, experiencing anticipation._

_Imagine the scandal that would have been created if they were found like that, with Yamamoto's lips mere inches away from his own._

_Two big names. The media would have had a field day._

_But even with that thought in mind, Gokudera still had not done anything. He was... He..._

Gokudera stuffed a pair of pants into the suitcase. He did not want to think about what had happened last night. He was careless.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Gokudera muttered angrily, mostly to himself. On his cheeks, a light shade of pink burned upon them at the memory.

_Beep, beep, beep._

Gokudera started, then ignored the sound of his cell phone ringing, knowing full well who it was that was trying to contact him.

_Instead of closing the distance between them, Yamamoto withdrew. _

_"I'm sorry, Gokudera."_

"Morning!" Dino, without Gokudera realizing it, had invited himself into his room. He sat down on the edge of Gokudera's bed and watched as the writer stuffed the last of his belongings into it. He raised an eyebrow at this. "What are you doing, Gokudera?"

"I'm packing, of course. We are leaving today, aren't we?" Gokudera said as he closed the suitcase. He took out a small padlock, ready to lock it. "Or have you forgotten? We need to get to the next book signing in Tokyo. Honestly, you should get your head checked. You're so forgetful."

_"Gokudera..." Yamamoto said. "Before you leave today, is it okay if we meet?"_

Dino laughed and placed his hand on top of Gokudera's when the younger was about to lock the suitcase.

"There is no need for that, Haya-chan."

"What are you talking about?" Gokudera said incredulously. "We have to pack, don't we?"

Dino grinned.

Gokudera really, really, really did not like the smile on Dino's face.

"... What is it?" Gokudera said tersely.

"Oh, nothing," Dino said simply, "It's just that I decided to extend our stay here in Namimori is all. I've already sorted everything out so that your book signings at the other places will still be held. And also-" Dino slipped his hand off of Gokudera's "-I arranged for you to have another book signing here today." He was grinning so much now that Gokudera wanted to slap it off of his face. "Am I an awesome manager or what?"

_No. No, you're not._

_You're an awful manager. Awful, awful, awful!_

Gokudera mentally screamed in his mind.

If there was a moment where he wanted to kill Cavallone, it was right now.

"DINO CAVALLONE, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

As insults from an incensed Gokudera Hayato rained upon Dino, the writer's cell phone kept on beeping.

* * *

"Eh...?" Yamamoto Takeshi pulled his cell phone away from his ear.

That was strange. Gokudera did not answer his call.

* * *

After his calls had gone unanswered for what must have been the sixth time that morning (and leading him to believe that Gokudera was either extremely busy or purposely ignoring his calls. He sincerely hoped that it was the former), Yamamoto gave up and slipped his cell phone into his pocket. The moment he did that, though, he was immediately subjected to Haru Miura's endless stream of babble. Something about her favourite new writer.

"His books really are amazing!" she gushed to Tsuna, who was feigning interest. "Especially his latest one! It's so sad that it made Haru cry!"

You see, the reason why they were currently walking to the biggest bookstore in Namimori is because of this; Haru's latest obsession. Tsuna and Yamamoto had woken up to her calls and enthusiastic knockings on the door, demanding for them to accompany her to some book signing. Barely an hour had passed before they were out the door with an excited Haru, showered, dressed, well-fed (they practically had to gulp down their breakfast) and still sleepy. It was only now that the sleep had begun to wear off of them.

Neither Yamamoto nor Tsuna really read much, so they did not really have a clue as to what Haru was talking about.

"He is so amazing," Haru chattered on as they neared the bookstore. "His books are mostly sci-fi. He keeps writing about UMAs, but his latest book is different. It's romance, and even though it's his first time writing that genre, it's really good!"

"Right... We'll take your word for- ack- Haru-!"

Yamamoto was so surprised by the queue that extended outside of the bookstore that he did not even notice when Haru suddenly pulled Tsuna to the end of the line.

"Yamamoto-san!" Haru called. "Here!"

_Wow... he must really be popular... _Yamamoto thought as he walked past a group of gaggling women before joining his friends. He pulled down his cap, not wanting to get recognized; especially not at such a crowded area. Luckily, though, everyone seemed to be distracted by the aspect of meeting the writer. His gaze flicked over to the signboard in front of the store. _G. Archery_... That name sounded vaguely familiar. He must have seen this guy's books somewhere before.

Though the sun beat down upon them, it did not seem to deter Haru in the least. She held the books that she wanted to be autographed to her chest, her eyes shining brightly. She was practically skipping.

"It's so lucky that he decided to extend his book signing for another day, or else Haru wouldn't have been able to attend!" she exclaimed. "And, and," she added excitedly. "Haru's friends saw him, and told Haru that he's very handsome."

"Right, right..." Yamamoto laughed, placing his hand on top of her head before pushing it down gently. She was just as enthusiastic as when they were teenagers.

And so they waited for their turn. It took awhile, but eventually, the line shortened until they were inside the store itself.

The sight that met Yamamoto's eyes took him back a little. If anything, the crowd in the store was even worse than it was outside. The corner of the store was especially crowded; it must be where the table of the author was. It seemed that in every corner and behind every shelf he cast his gaze upon was stuffed with people. Men, women, people of all shapes and sizes gathered here, books by the famous G. Archery in their arms.

A few more minutes passed until finally, they were the second ones in line. By that time, Yamamoto's attention was already elsewhere, and Tsuna was no better; the brown-haired male was equally bored. Yamamoto looked around the store with detached interest when the voice of Haru reached his ears, bringing him to attention.

"Hahi! Gokudera-san is G. Archery?"

_Wait... what? _

Yamamoto immediately pulled his gaze away from the shelf of books that he had been staring at and looked at the person sitting behind the table in front of him. Sure enough, sitting in the chair behind the table sat Gokudera Hayato. Surprise spread across Gokudera's face when his and Yamamoto's eyes met, but that look immediately changed into one of annoyance when Haru's voice pierced the air once more; she practically had her face in front of his face, not caring that she was invading his personal space. She looked dismayed.

"Haru's friends lied! Gokudera-san isn't handsome!"

A few people who heard that statement chuckled.

Gokudera's eye twitched.

He did not seem to find it very funny.

"Do I look like I fucking care about that?" he growled. "So are you gonna have your books signed or no- ow! Dino, you ass!"

Dino, the blond that Yamamoto had seen Gokudera with at school last night, had elbowed Gokudera in the shoulder.

"Be nice, Haya-chan," Dino said lightly.

"To hell with that-"

Dino cleared his throat, nudged the writer in the shoulder gently, and gestured at the line behind Yamamoto and Haru. A few people were trying to see what the commotion was about.

Gokudera may be interacting with his friends, but he still had to uphold an image in front of his readers. When Gokudera noticed a few curious looks being cast his way, he reached for one of Haru's books and muttered;

"Fine..."

Gokudera kept his head down as he began to sign the books, not wanting to look Yamamoto in the eye. _Damn it_, he thought, as he signed his signature in one of the books Haru had presented to him. Due to his nervousness, his signature had come out rather shaky, much to Haru's annoyance. He did not expect for that baseball idiot to come here, of all places. It was bad enough that his old friends now knew about his identity, but for Yamamoto to be here in person? Bad, bad, bad. Shit. He was lucky that Yamamoto Takeshi was not a reader; at least, he _hoped_ that Yamamoto still wasn't.

As a million thoughts flew through his mind, Gokudera did his best to remain calm and composed, indifferent.

But of course, he was not able to avoid Yamamoto for long, since Yamamoto decided that he had stayed silent for long enough.

"Gokudera, you're a writer?" Yamamoto said.

Was this book signing why Gokudera did not answer his calls earlier?

A grunt.

"Why didn't you tell us anything?"

"It's not that important."

A stab at Yamamoto's heart, but still, he did his best to maintain a cheery demeanor.

Gokudera signed yet another book.

Yamamoto looked around the crowded store. All around, people kept trying to catch a glimpse of Gokudera.

"It looks pretty important to me," Yamamoto said, smiling.

Another grunt.

Thinking it was time for her to speak up again, Haru stood on tiptoes and whispered into Yamamoto's ear, "It's probably because Gokudera-san's shy about writing girly stories."

Gokudera just gave her a death glare.

"I am not shy," he snapped.

As Haru and Gokudera began to bicker with each other again, Yamamoto picked up one of the books on the table. Wow... Gokudera had certainly written quite a bit since he had left Namimori... Though Yamamoto was happy for Gokudera's success, seeing this made Yamamoto realize, with a sinking heart, just how much of Gokudera's life he had missed. And the fact that Gokudera had kept such a large part of his life a secret kind of hurt.

But still... when he read the summary for each of Gokudera's books at the back cover, he found that Gokudera had not really changed. Like Haru had said, the contents of Gokudera's stories were abundant with UMAs, mythical creatures, aliens and the like. It somewhat comforted him that his friend was still in there somewhere.

Yamamoto picked up another book. This one was the one Haru had mentioned; the romance one. He could tell this by the lack of extraordinary creatures in the summary. _Affliction_, that was the title. Yamamoto could not help but to chuckle. He had expected UMAs and the aliens, but... romance? This did not quite seem like Gokudera's cup of tea (but somehow, it did at the same time. Gokudera could be rather sentimental... when people were not looking). Just holding the book made him feel compelled to read it. He traced the name G. Archery that was written on the spine.

"Hey, why did you choose to write under this name?" Yamamoto asked suddenly, bringing Gokudera to attention.

Upon seeing the book that Yamamoto was currently holding, Gokudera's eyes widened. _Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Fuck no_. He reached out and snatched the book from Yamamoto's hands.

"Because, using my real name is a nuisance. Writing under a pseudonym is easier," Gokudera huffed, his cheeks pink. When he received a skeptical look from Yamamoto, who knew that Gokudera was not telling the entire story, he then added in a lower voice, averting his gaze as he did so, "... And also because it sounds kinda cool."

Yeap.

Definitely the same Gokudera Hayato that he knew.

Yamamoto chuckled. "Okay, okay." Just knowing that Gokudera had not changed much made his heart feel a lot lighter. "Can you hand me back the book, please? I'd like to buy it."

"What?" Gokudera's hold on the book tightened. "Fuck no."

"Wha- please?"

"I said 'no'."

"But, Gokudera-"

"What part of 'no' don't you understand? The 'N' or the 'O'?"

"Gokudera, I-"

"Gokudera-san!" Haru was so close to whacking him upside the head with one of his books. "Hurry up and sign Haru's books!"

It came to no surprise that Gokudera and Haru drew themselves into yet another heated argument. Taking the opportunity that had suddenly decided to bestow itself upon him, Yamamoto, with his curiosity getting the better of him, took a new copy of _Affliction_ from the table without Gokudera's noticing it.

As Yamamoto made his way to the counter to pay for the book, Dino nudged Yamamoto in the arm and winked at him.

"Happy reading."

* * *

**DIOR:** It has been awhile, hasn't it? Haha, I don't even have a good excuse for not updating this except that at first, university decided to catch me and put me in a jar, and I've lost confidence in this story. *sweatdrop* But since there're only 2-3 chapters left, I thought that I might as well finish it :P For those who are still reading this story, I hope you liked this chapter. Reviews are appreciated.


End file.
